DJI Mini 3 Pro Ultra Lightweight Drone Is Ready To Shoot Epic Sky High 4K60 Videos
DJI just cleared its Mini Pro 3 for takeoff, and with it comes a host of upgrades and feature enhancements. Billed as the world's most powerful ultra-lightweight drone, the Mini Pro 3 rocks an updated design, a bigger sensor, the ability to record 4K Ultra HD videos at 60 frames per second, and better obstacle avoidance, all wrapped in a compact flyer.
"When we launched the Mini drone series in 2019, our goal was to give everyone the easiest way to see the world from above for the first time," said Ferdinand Wolf, Creative Director at DJI. "Through their images and stories, we discovered how capable a small aerial camera could be. Today, we share the integration of excellent flight capability, intelligence, and imaging versatility into our ultra-lightweight aerial camera. DJI Mini 3 Pro raises the bar on what a portable, powerful camera drone can achieve."
The Mini Pro 3 weighs less than 249 grams. That's not an arbitrary number either—at under 249 grams, the Mini 3 Pro is designed to be a regulation-friendly drone in most regions and countries. In a lot of places, regulations set the standard for what's considered a "safe" drone at up to 250 grams (around 0.55 pounds). And in the US specifically, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires that all drones over 250 grams must be registered.
DJI meets that cutoff with its latest entry, which is essentially an evolution of the Mavic Mini introduced in 2019. We reviewed the Mini 2, which came out the following the year and dropped the Mavic name, then came the Mini SE. Now we have the Mini 3 Pro with more built-in features and the promise of enhanced flighkt performance.
Tri-directional obstacle sensing is one of the big upgrades. According to DJI, this is a first a mini drone. These sensors provide forward, backward, and downward monitoring to help avoid crashing into trees and other obstacles. The also enable Advanced Pilot Assistance Systems (APAS) 4.0, which automatically detects and finds safer routes around obstacles.
The Mini 3 Pro is also equipped with a bigger 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor with a dual native ISO. It has an f/1.7 aperture, shoots stills at up to 48 megapixels, and records video at up to 4K/60fps. The camera can also rotate 90 degrees for True Vertical Shooting.
"For the most vivid detail, HDR video recording is available at frame rates up to 30fps. A Normal color profile is available for quick in-app editing, while D-Cinelike allows for more post-editing possibilities. Digital video zoom at up to 2x is available in 4K, 3x in 2.7K, and 4x in Full HD. Among the key pieces of user feedback we’ve applied, DJI Mini 3 Pro also has improved image performance with 2.4μm pixels that capture more image detail, which is especially helpful in low lighting and night," DJI explains.
The cherry on top is improved battery life. DJI says users can expect up to 34 minutes of flight time with the standard battery, or up to 47 minutes with an "Intelligent Flight Battery Plus" upgrade. However, do note that the bigger battery bumps the weight to over 250 grams, requiring that you register it.
Pricing for the DJI Mini 3 Pro starts at $699 (just the drone) and goes up to $1,158 depending on the bundled options (controller, bigger battery). It's available now. Also, we'll have a review of the Mini 3 Pro posted soon, so stayed tuned for that.
